


Critical Hit - Klaroline AU Week 2020 Day 2: Sci-fi/Fantasy

by klarolineagainnaturally



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, imagine hey i play d&d and write klaroline fanfiction, kcauweek2020, that is definitely in line with my character, the nerd in me cometh out, the theme is fantasy...but I did a twist, wait
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23533249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klarolineagainnaturally/pseuds/klarolineagainnaturally
Summary: (Klaroline AU Week 2020 Day 2: Sci-fi/Fantasy)With their party finalised, they took off on a quest to solve the murders terrorising the Kingdom. Surely, a man (or otherwise) tearing out the hearts of innocent subjects would be an easy arrest...right?
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	Critical Hit - Klaroline AU Week 2020 Day 2: Sci-fi/Fantasy

Their journey had taken them out of the Kingdom’s parameters, unnerving their bard, Stefan, whose flute was stowed safely in his cloak pocket. Though reluctant, Katerina had banded them all together at the behest of her well-married half-sister, Lady Elena; it seemed there was a streak of brutal murders terrorising the kingdom, the signature being each victim’s heart, specifically that it was missing. Lady Elena’s personal sorcerer, Bonnie, had joined under the guise of wishing to aid the mission, but they were all aware of Elena’s distrust of her sister regardless of her great yuan-ti capabilities. In fairness, Katerina couldn’t deny her propensity to do questionable acts in exchange for gold, but why would she betray her sister when the offer of a large fortune was so mouthwatering? Caroline was only passing through, hoping to get some meditation in before taking the long journey back to her elven-ranger clan, but when the crazy snake-eyed woman had propositioned her in the local tavern, she found herself excited for the first time in years. And then, there was Stefan, who dropped his musical gig in the tavern without even being asked.  _ Really _ . Katerina was not interested, but he insisted upon helping and she supposed another spell-caster wouldn’t hurt.

They took a detour to the latest crime scene and Caroline took note of the splatters of blood, the scent of the perpetrator still in the air. It was the unmistakable smell of burning oak, something her clan was partial to using in winter. From there, they took off into the woods with whatever weapons they could carry and followed Caroline’s lead. Stefan kept close while Bonnie kept a well-trained eye on the yuan-ti, fuelling Katerina’s irritation as they wove through the trees.

As they reached a clearing, the sky began to darken and only then did Stefan’s inability to see in the dark become a known fact.

“This is why I don’t involve myself with humans,” Katerina grumbled.

__ “It’s okay, I brought an oil lamp,” Bonnie reassured him, though not quite addressing him as her eyes were glued to Katerina’s back.

The dark haired yuan-ti stopped dead in her tracks to face the gnome, whose winning smile was on sudden display. “Do you mind?” she asked bluntly, her hand placed on her hips.

“Not at all,” Bonnie stared up at her defiantly, clenching her teeth to hold her smile. If she were to abandon her own personal mission of keeping track of Katerina’s actions for even a second, that would simply not do. With a hiss, Katerina continued on the path into the clearing where Caroline was still, her hands halting them from further exploration. The clearing was eerily bare and something about the gravelly patch where the others stood didn't sit right with her.

“I think there’s something here,” she muttered into the silent air.

“Like what?” Stefan’s shaky voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Shush,” the elf quickly silenced him and crouched to inspect. After a long moment, it didn’t seem to be anything but a gravelly patch, so she focused her efforts on the edges of the clearing. Why she didn’t notice it upon first entrance was _beyond_ her; there was a large oak tree centred at the back edge. Narrowing her eyes, Caroline took slow steps up to the tree and felt along the bark. It was ancient from what she could distinguish and the brittle texture was carved into a large circle. It soon clicked within her that the carving was of a bull's eye. This, she was prepared for.

Caroline smirked, drawing her bow and arrow from its gold-trimmed casing attached to her back. She took a few steps back and called to them, “Keep back. I think I have found the key to our killer’s location.”

The three of them nodded in succession and all watched intently to view the striking blue-eyed elf’s skill in action. Katerina and Bonnie shared a glare when the latter bumped against the former’s leg in order to get a sufficient view of Caroline.

Caroline took a deep breath, holding her view of the bull's eye carefully. Her mother had been so worried that she would injure herself that she refused to teach her any of what she knew. It didn’t bother her at first, but once she realised every other member of their clan was proficient, the desire to learn was too strong to ignore. She supposed now was not the time to mention to the rest of the party that her skills were only picked up over a short few months without her mother’s knowledge and her stop in the tavern was on the way back from her training. She would make sure to mention it...later.

Pulling back her bow, she flinched at the sound of Stefan’s throat clearing. A quiet apology was heard and she continued to draw back. The bow and arrow set was the best she could find with the gold she had stolen from her mother’s pouch, perhaps a little too ambitious for her skill set, but she was confident. How hard could it be?

With a whistle of the wind, the arrow went flying and perfectly pierced the bull's eye, a victory that proved fatal from the screams of her party as they dropped through the ground, which closed up before Caroline could even make eye-contact with them.

“Holy shit,” she gasped, scrambling to view the area on which they once stood. Okay, so there was a trapdoor, but she gave herself a mental pat on the back for getting such a perfect hit. “Guys?”  _ Like they’d hear you. Don’t be stupid.  _

Caroline took cautious steps back to the tree, wary of any odd patterns in the ground. Luckily for her, she wasn’t being scooped up into a net, though she dreaded her fallen party members’ reaction once reunited. She did, however, notice the carvings travelled from the bull's eye, around the tree, to the back of it where she met a discreetly carved door. There was an array of loose blocks of wood that looked out of place, an obvious puzzle.

It took a few attempts, but Caroline was able to slot each piece into its correct position, the large shape of wood hitching back and dropping to reveal carefully crafted stairs. She paused as her fingers curled around the doorway. She was going in alone and that meant preparing herself for the worst.

The blonde elf rolled her shoulders and soon took the first steps down into the darkness, thankful for her ability to see through it even when the door behind her slammed back into place. She could make out beautifully carved patterns along the wall of the stairway, pressing her fingers into the smooth indents and grooves. Surely, a murderer wouldn’t have time to craft such art.

Caroline ducked her head slightly as she reached the end, her ears beginning to perk up as she heard the muffled sounds of Katerina and Bonnie arguing. After turning a corner, she found herself entering into a wide hall, lit up by candles fixed onto beautiful gold sconces.

She soon spotted Bonnie and Katerina in the far corner, locked into a thick steel cage.

“Caroline, get us the fuck out of here now!” Katerina’s unkind demand echoed in the room.

“I’m sorry!” she winced, rushing across to meet them, but soon halted as she noticed their male party member was nowhere to be seen. “Wait. Where’s Stefan?”

Bonnie sighed, carefully pressing a hand to the bar, “He took him.”

“The murderer,” Caroline confirmed with a short nod.

“Right. And the cage is enchanted. I can’t seem to break the barrier,” Bonnie admitted, her tone downcast while Katerina rolled her eyes.

“Damn.” Caroline blew a wisp of hair from her forehead. She wasn’t sure she could get them out by herself, not with a bow and arrow.

“My my, what have we here?” broke into the room with a deep, tempting voice. Caroline’s body tensed but was urged by an unknown force to confront it, slowly turning to face the sound.

From the darkest corner of the room, emerged the source. As the light swallowed the darkness, his bloodied skin was revealed to Caroline and she found her breath catching her throat at the site of the rigid horns growing from his head. She had never seen a tiefling up close and was surprised at her lack of surprise and her sudden attraction to the sight of him. God, she needed to get a grip. 

Unwillingly at his side was a bruised and limping Stefan, chained at the wrists. “Don’t worry, guys,” he attempted to reassure with a groggy voice, “I can handle it.”

“Yes, quick, Stefan, hit him with your flute!” Katerina suggested, her voice extravagant and  a smile strained while she rolled her eyes.

“I’ve got this,” Caroline declared, her voice wavering midway.

With ease, she pulled a new arrow from its case and drew it back. She swallowed but took the shot at him, missing by a crucial inch.  _ No biggie, I’ll try again _ . She fumbled out another arrow and shot it in a rush. The second arrow only skimmed his arm, a shallow cut dragging across his skin.

“I’m  _ so _ glad the one time you managed to hit your target, it was for a trapdoor,” Bonnie piped up, gaining a few perplexed blinks from both Katerina and Caroline.

“Enough games,” the tiefling grinned, his sharp teeth on show. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m—”

“The murderer.”

His eyes were narrowed at Caroline’s interruption, but he soon continued his warm introduction, “Niklaus. And _you_ are the most exquisite creature I have laid my eyes on.”

The elf pressed her lips together, swallowing the blush that threatened her pale skin. True, she was aware of her beauty, but beauty was no stranger in the Elven community.

With a raised chin, she replied, “I’m sure.”

Niklaus’ head tilted momentarily like a weird twitch before he stepped forward to meet her. “ _I_ am sure you long to have your perfect little feathers ruffled, sweetheart.”

Caroline scoffed, keeping a blank expression in the eye of his bold assumptions.

“I would love to see you out of what I’m sure are pretty little knickers—”

_ “Klaus!” _

_ He viewed his girlfriend with an innocent smile. “What? I believe my character would say that.” _

_ “Kol,” Caroline huffed as she faced their dungeon master. _

_ With brows raised and shoulders shrugged, Kol replied, “I’ll allow it.” _


End file.
